"Particularly in the short term, the financial issues and impacts are very significant on a family. What a lot of these organizations and associations and fundraisers are helping with is that immediate assistance," Dolan said.

"And we're very, very grateful for all our volunteers and all the funds that will be for the noblest of causes," he added.

In the past eight decades, eight Raleigh police officers have been killed on the job: Officer Tom G. Crabtree in 1922; Officer Robert E. Spark in March 1968; Officers James W. Allen and JamesG. Lee in December 1968; Officer Delma D. Adams in 1980; Officer Denise Holden in 1995; Detective Paul A. Hale in 1997; and Officer Charles R. Paul in 2002.

According to the event Web site, four active and retired Raleigh officers got inspired to start the Run for Our Heroes after being in the annual Police Unity Tour in May 2008. They participated in the bike ride from Virginia Beach to the National Police Memorial in Washington, D.C., in honor of the fallen Raleigh police officers.

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leo-ncApr 27, 2009

You won't see many comments on this story because it shows something positive about the police, and we can't have that!

ncsudanApr 27, 2009

Thanks for the article WRAL. I ran in this 5K, along with our Mayor (Who finished in about 20 minutes, BTW), and was really disappointed in the News & Observer. No mention of this on Sunday or Monday (Today's) paper of this evert to Honor RPDs fallen Heros. We even ran close by the N&O building and still they did not mention this race. But the MS WALK got mentioned. I guess police who have made the ultimate sacrifice are not worthy of mention in the N&O. Thanks WRAL for covering this.